Sky Blue Topaz Education: Types, Colors, Description, Origins & Details
LEARN ABOUT THE SKY BLUE TOPAZ
Who isn’t an admirer of the serene beauty of skies? A glance and you’ll find yourself immersed in its divinity. And carrying that beauty is our semi-precious Sky Blue Topaz. The lightest Topaz of the lot wit a subtle glow: its USP indeed! The pastel hues of Sky Blue Topaz are sure to make you skip a heartbeat. Graceful, heavenly and eye-pleasing! Since we’re so mesmerized by its appearance, why not know our gemstone a little better? What makes this gemstone so special? How did it even come into picture? What to look for while setting out to buy it? We have got it all addressed under our Sky Blue Topaz Education guide covering everything from the history and origin to the famous 4 Cs and properties. Wait no more, let’s discuss it all:
Properties of Sky Blue Topaz
Hardness
Having a hardness rating of 8 out of 10 on Mohs scale, this December birthstone is known to be pretty durable, thus making it withstand the wear and tear of regular use pretty easily
Composition
What makes it appear so serenely beautiful to the eyes! Sky Blu Topaz belongs to the silicate family of minerals possessing an interesting combination of aluminium and fluorine. Since the light blue color of Topaz, though found contrary to its darker counterparts, is quite rare and thus its colorless variety has to be subjected to irradiation and heat treatment to obtain beautiful blue hues that we adore. It is naturally found in large prismatic crystals.
Luster
The watery color of this beauty is further enhanced by its vitreous or glass-like luster with a refractive index of 1.610-1.638.
Origin & History
Although officially discovered and mined in 1960, the earliest records of this blue beauty date back to around 2 millennia years ago when it was discovered by Romans on the Islands of Topazios. Yes, you guessed it right, that’s exactly where its name has been inspired from. Since then, the craze for this beauty in blue knew no bounds with people even believing it to act as a protective guard against enemies, thus radiating positivity and reconciliation. Having been worshiped in a number of countries and religions from Egypt to Europe, Sky Blue Topaz has always had ties with divine powers that its mention in Bible among the 12 stones that have constituted the heavens itself justifies. The world witnessed the beauty of Blue Topaz when the prestigious Natural History Museum of UK exhibited the largest Blue Topaz gemstone weighing around 9,381 carats. Sure to delve you into its chasmic beauty!
Where is Sky Blue Topaz found?
Let’s jump back to the present with our Sky Blue Topaz education guide. Interestingly for us, since Sky blue Topaz is a very light blue variety of Topaz, it can be found in nature as well, making it one of the very few natural Topaz witnessed today but due to its extreme scarcity and the natural colorless form of Topaz, it sometimes has to go through the intense irradiation process as well. The light blue variety of Topaz is usually found in Brazil, USA, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Mexico, Nigeria, Madagascar, South Africa, Tasmania, Ireland, Russia, Japan and Scotland. Talking about its specific formation, Sky Blue Topaz usually occurs in the fractures and cavities of igneous rocks such as pegatimite and rhyolite as well as metamorphic rocks in extremely large crystals formed by the process of magma cooling, all thanks to the presence of Fluorine.
Sky Blue Topaz versus Swiss Blue Topaz
Sky Blue Topaz
The main difference is in the color, it’s always in the color in fact when talking of the different varieties of Topaz. The sky blue topaz is very light, the lightest to be more precise out of the lot with a icy or powder blue color. The light variety of Topaz, though extremely rare, can be found in its natural form.
Swiss Blue Topaz
The color of Swiss Blue Topaz is an interesting midpoint between Sky blue and London Blue topaz, making it a vivid, medium electric blue, darker than its sky blue counterpart. This variety of Swiss Blue Topaz is always irradiated to intensify the color since it is seldom found in its natural form.
Sky Blue Topaz Quality and Price Filters
SKY BLUE TOPAZ QUALITY AND PRICE FILTERS
Here we arrive at the most integral part! Also, the toughest to crack sometimes. When it comes to gemstones, judging their quality comes with a whole different process. And here we are to get you covered with our Sky Blue Topaz buying guide. Well, typically determines by the 4 Cs: cut, color, clarity and carat, the quality of the gemstone plays a crucial role in deciding their value. Take a glance:
Color
What sets it apart from the other Topaz! The lightest color of the lot: Sky Blue Topaz ranges from a pale to powder blue. By definition, Sky Blue is known for its bright and light blue shade, reminiscent of the skies. It is one of the few variety of colored Topaz found in nature, but thanks to its rarity, the colorless Topaz is irradiated to obtain its color as well. While you are about to buy Sky Blue Topaz Jewelry then it must be kept in mind to choose the one with uniform saturation without any lighter spot.
Clarity
While treating the Sky Blue Topaz, a reduction in inclusions has also been observed. In fact, heat treatment is done in a way to minimize or get rid of any blemishes. Therefore, any treatment offered to Blue Topaz will change and enhance its beauty forever. Inclusions make the Sky Blue Topaz look less transparent and might include specks, cracks, or feathers. Rough crystals might contain some inclusions, however, faceted Sky Blue Topaz can be made free of such inclusions. Its clarity ranges from the most sought after eye clean to slightly or moderately included.
Carat
The carat weight of Sky Blue Topaz significantly depends upon its size and shape which in turn together, has an impact on its price. But interestingly, when the carat weight of this December birthstone crosses the 10 carat mark, it reflects a very evident impact on the price.
Cut
Cut is all about the intricate artistry! It is the art of detailing indeed. Since the cut of this December birthstone determines its brilliance, it becomes a primary factor in deciding the quality. For the Sky Blue Topaz, the most commonly found cuts include round, baguette, oval, pear, square, trillion, heart, Cabochan, Marquise and Emerald.
Sky Blue Topaz Grading Value
Nothing compares to the efficiency with which a grading system can communicate the quality of your gemstone to you! Being well aware of that, we are here with our Sky Blue Topaz grading chart to categorize the quality of your gemstone into different grades, insinuating the value:
AAAA (Heirloom)
The most sought after, valuable and equally rare graded category! With 1 % of all Topaz belonging to this category, it has that sparkling, brilliant blue color along with eye-clean clarity,i.e., devoid of any visible inclusions.
AAA (Best)
Another sought after category with top 10 % of all Topaz belonging to it. The Topaz belonging to this category possess a light blue color along with eye-clean clarity having no visible inclusions.
AA ( Better)
With top 33 % of all Topaz belonging to this category, these possess a sky blue color included with slight blemishes.
A ( Good)
The most common and the least valuable out of the lot! With 75 % of all Topaz belonging to this category, it possesses a very pale-light blue color and is known to be moderately included with visible blemishes.
Benefits of Sky Blue Topaz
The divine ties of Sky Blue Topaz is something we’re all aware of! Be it its mention in the Bible or protective abilities, there is something in Topaz that has always fascinated everybody. And that’s exactly what makes this part quite intriguing. Let’s give you a glance with our Sky Blue Topaz guide:
Physical Healing
It is known to specifically heal all kinds of throat problems including balancing of Thyroid glands, issues related to headache as well as cuts and burns. All in all, it provides great physical strength to those who wear it.
Emotional Healing
A glance at this serene beauty has the power to bless you with great mental peace. It helps bring better clarity of thought, enhanced decision making, getting rid of emotional trauma as well as anger issues. In a nutshell, it works like a soothing stone that balances your emotions and brings joy to your life.
Other Benefits
It align all your energies to where they are needed, thus helping you live a more focused life. It fills the communication gap between people and makes you more confident as well. It gives you a sense of inner peace and contentment in life. Apart from that, it has also long believed to work as a protective gem against enemies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a Sky Blue Topaz made?
The formation of Topaz usually takes place in cavities of rhyolite, pegmatite and other kinds of other igneous rocks. The Sky Blue color is imparted to the natural Topaz by the means of gamma treatment. Although, natural blue topazes do exist but they are very rare, however it is a lab secret as to how exactly the sky-blue color is imparted to the natural topaz.
What is difference between lab grown and natural Sky Blue Topaz?
Like most of the gemstones, there is an option to choose between natural and lab-treated Topazes. One must not confuse “lab treated” with the “fake”. Natural Topaz is heat treated to bring out the Sky Blue color.
However, lab-created or lab-grown Sky Blue Topazes are free from inclusions as compared to those found naturally.
Where do Sky Blue Topaz come from?
Most of the Topaz come from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Japan, Mexico, Madagascar, Burma, Australia and USA.
How to take care of Sky Blue Topaz Jewelry?
Sky Blue Topaz Jewelry is quite easy to clean due to their hardness and durability. However, a few things must be kept in mind like avoiding contact of the gemstone with make-up, harsh chemicals, abrasives.
While cleaning the jewelry make use of lukewarm water and mild cleaning detergent. Soft toothbrush can be used to clean the underside of the Sky Blue Topaz.
Also, the jewelry must be individually kept to avoid contact with other jewelry to avoid unnecessary scratches.
What is a Sky Blue Topaz certification?
The most common Sky Blue Topaz Certifications includes from GIA, IGL and HRD labs. It is usually a document you receive on the behalf of the aforementioned 3rd party labs which describes a Blue Topaz in all of its characteristics. Each and every party’s defining grounds may defer.
Does Topaz scratch easily?
Absolutely not! Since Topaz has a hardness rating of 8 out of 10 on Mohs scale which is slightly on the higher side, it is known to be pretty durable and can withstand the wear and tear of regular use with some ease.
What is the birthstone of Sky Blue Topaz?
Blessing the month of December with its grace, it is known to be extra lucky for all the December babies out there.
Is Sky Blue Topaz natural?
Yes and no! Though light blue variety of Topaz is found in nature, it is extremely rare. Thus, it is also irradiated and heat treated to obtain that alluring sky blue color.
Conclusion
The lightest and the most comforting gemstones to look at: Sky Blue Topaz. Such is its serene beauty that we cannot help but get immersed adoring it. That’s pretty much what makes this semi-precious gemstone what it is today. Also, since it is one of the rarest Topaz found in its natural form, we say why not get you a little more familiar with this pretty blue beauty? To facilitate you with that, we have come up with our Sky Blue Topaz Education guide covering everything from the history and origin to the 4 Cs and grading system, in order to help you make a more informed decision while setting out to buy Sky Blue Topaz jewelry. That being said, here we sign off wishing you all the luck in selecting your favorite Sky Blue Topaz jewelry.